Category: Kaizen

5S is an effective approach to managing the work through the elimination of waste.

Practitioners of 5S have discovered that it can be applied in contexts far removed from its origins in car manufacture. Indeed, it works any place where you want to get results: in your office, your home, in cyberspace or even in your own head.

Know The Practices of 5S

Originally developed in the context of the Japanese motor industry, 5S is named for the Japanese words that describe its 5 core practices:

Understand Seiri: Tidiness

The Practice of Seiri

Discarding should be without regret, for everything that is left should promote productivity.

A technique often used in the context of Seiri is “Red Tagging”. Rather than removing items that don’t belong immediately, a red tag is immediately placed on items that need to be removed. The advantage of this is that work needn’t stop to deal with misplaced items – they can be dealt with later. Tagged items may be temporarily removed to a holding area, and genuinely redundant items can be disposed of.

The Benefits of Seiri

Fewer hazards

Less clutter to interfere with productive work

Simplification of tasks

Effective use of space

Careful purchasing of items

Save money on storage

Understand Seiton: Orderliness

The Practice of Seiton

A place for everything & everything in its place.

Organise and design your home / workplace to promote efficiency. Arrange tools and materials in assigned places where they can be accessed quickly, thus promoting work flow.

Keep tools and equipment where they will be used.

Order items to eliminate ‘extra motion’.

Allocate a location to each item.

Label each location to identify what is kept there.

The Benefits of Seiton

Good work-flow -> Achievement.

Things can be found -> Less frustration.

Understand Seiso: Cleanliness

The Practice of Seiso

Keep your home / workplace clean as well as neat.
See your environment workplace through the eyes of a visitor: keeping a high standard of cleanliness to make a good impression.

Maintain cleanliness daily, not just occasionally.

Make cleanliness a part of the work, not an extra.

Cleaning is done by everyone.

No area should be missed.

The Benefits of Seiso

A good impression

Better health

A better quality of life

Improved self-esteem

Understand Seiketsu: Standards

The Practice of Seiketsu

Operate consistently.

Everyone must know their responsibilities.

Use your five senses:

Make it easy to spot anomalies.

Detect abnormalities and correct them immediately.

Examples of using senses (sometimes called “Visual Management”):

Colour-coding

Outlining tools on a tool board

The Benefits of Seiketsu

You can always find what you’re looking for

You can easily see when things are out of place

Understand Shitsuke: Discipline

The Practice of Shitsuke

Finally, maintain standards. Learn not to need reminding about the 5S way.